Colorado Avalanche Inside Shots 2008-12-05

General manager Francois Giguere doesn't discuss possible trades, so it's difficult to determine if he's on the prowl for a center now that captain Joe Sakic will miss at least six weeks with a herniated disc in his back.

But it's even harder to fathom the Avalanche, which closes out a three-game road trip Friday in Dallas, expecting Tyler Arnason (two goals in 24 games) or 22-year-old T.J. Hensick (one goal in 13 games) to carry the load as a No. 2 center behind Paul Stastny.

Not for an extended period, anyway.

Another option is moving Wojtek Wolski from left wing to the middle -- that was a possibility over the summer when Sakic was pondering whether to come back for another season -- but that would leave a hole on the wing.

So it makes sense for the Avalanche to make a deal for a center who can take some of the pressure off Stastny, who is the team's leading scorer with 20 points but has only six goals.

Either that or make a phone call to J.P. Barry, the agent for unrestricted free-agent center Mats Sundin, who has been working out in the Los Angeles area and apparently wants to resume his NHL career.

Sundin does have a standing offer from Vancouver for $20 million over two years, a price that is way too steep for the Avalanche, and he would prefer to join a Stanley Cup contender.

But it definitely would be worth getting in touch with Barry. It can't hurt to give it a try.

PREDATORS 3, AVALANCHE 2: The Avalanche defense fell asleep as the first period was winding down and Nashville's David Legwand scored with three-tenths of a second remaining to break a 2-2 tie Thursday night at the Sommet Center in Nashville. The loss ended the Avalanche's winning streak at two games and dropped the team under .500 at 12-13-0.